India is engaged in discussions with Iranian authorities to secure the safe passage of nearly 28 Indian-flagged merchant vessels stranded around the Strait of Hormuz amid escalating hostilities in West
Asia, according to a report.
The strategic waterway has effectively been shut to commercial shipping over the past several days following heightened military activity by Iran in the backdrop of its conflict with Israel and the United States.
According to a PTI report, Iran has not allowed any Indian-flagged commercial tanker to transit the Strait of Hormuz over the past four to five days.
The negotiations come after a series of attacks on tankers and bulk carriers in the Persian Gulf in recent weeks. Three Indian seafarers have been killed so far, another is reported missing, and several others have been injured in separate maritime incidents.
Shipping safety and India’s energy security are understood to have featured prominently in recent diplomatic engagements between New Delhi and Tehran.
External affairs minister S Jaishankar has held three conversations with his Iranian counterpart since the conflict escalated in late February, including one on March 10 that specifically addressed maritime security.
Confirming the outreach, external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the ministers had discussed concerns related to the safety of shipping and energy supplies, while noting that it would be premature to share further details.
While authorities said no Indian-flagged commercial vessel has been permitted to transit the Strait of Hormuz in the past four to five days, a Liberia-flagged Suezmax tanker carrying Saudi crude reached Mumbai on Thursday after navigating the strait, becoming the first vessel to arrive in India from West Asia since the hostilities began.
At an inter-ministerial briefing, shipping ministry special secretary Rajesh Kumar Sinha said officials are closely tracking 24 Indian-flagged vessels with 677 Indian crew members positioned west of the strait, and four more vessels with 101 Indian seafarers to the east.
In addition, 78 Indian crew members were on board foreign-flagged ships that were involved in recent maritime incidents.
“All Indian vessels and their crews are being actively monitored for their safety and security,” Sinha said, adding that three crew members were killed, one is missing, and four were injured in recent attacks.
India has strongly condemned the targeting of commercial shipping. On Wednesday, New Delhi denounced an attack on a Thai-flagged vessel bound for Kandla port in Gujarat, which was fired upon while transiting the region. Twenty crew members were rescued, while three remain missing.
In a statement, the external affairs ministry said India “deplores the fact that commercial shipping is being made a target of military attacks” and reiterated that freedom of navigation and the safety of civilian crew must be respected.
Iran, meanwhile, has blamed the deteriorating security situation in the Persian Gulf on US and Israeli military actions.
According to a readout of the March 10 call, Tehran conveyed that disruptions to shipping were a consequence of what it described as destabilising aggression, and said the international community must hold Washington accountable.
The virtual closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow but vital corridor that handles about 20 per cent of global oil and gas shipments, has triggered a sharp rise in global energy prices.
Separately, Indian authorities said around 9,000 Indian nationals remain in Iran, including students, seafarers, businesspeople, professionals and pilgrims.
The government is facilitating visas and land border crossings for those seeking to return home via Azerbaijan and Armenia, while several Indians have already been relocated from Tehran to safer locations within the country.
